Holocaust Remembrance Day in Jerusalem 2017
About Yom Hashoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Hashoah in Hebrew, is the day on which we make sure to remember the unfathomable facts and stories of the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people during World War II.
Today, 193,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel. To be a Holocaust survivor means to live with a burden no one else can understand. New stories continue to be told and the magnitude of the Holocaust and the horrors of the individual stories leave us grappling to gain some amount of understanding.
As Israel’s capital, Jerusalem is the center of Holocaust commemoration during the country’s official remembrance day which takes place on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nissan. The central ceremonies take place at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust but there are ceremonies in almost every school and institution around the country.
What to expect
This year Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on the evening of May 4, 2016 until the evening of May 5
Visitors will find the city in a lower gear and people in a solemn mood. Public places of entertainment are closed.
At 10:00 am on Thursday, May 5, a siren is sounded throughout the country for two minutes. During that time, people stop whatever they are doing and stand in silence. Even those on the roads pull to a stop, and drivers and passengers stand in attention beside their vehicles for two minutes.
Movies and documentaries about the Holocaust are shown on Israel’s TV channels continuously and solemn music and Holocaust-themed radio shows play the entire day.
While certain sections of society don’t actively participate in the mourning, most Israelis show respect for the day.
2017 memorial events will be updated soon
Yom Hashoah at Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is one of Israel’s most visited attractions. Redone in 2005, it is a stunning and chilling living memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is worth considering a trip to Yad Vashem on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Entrance to Yad Vashem is always free.
Special hours for Yom Hashoah: Yad Vashem closes to visitors at 12:00 pm May 4, 2106.
Location: Yad Vashem is located on Har Hazikaron, next to Mount Herzl
Contact information: +972-2-644-3802, http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance/2014/events.asp
The state opening ceremony
When: Wednesday, May 4, 8:00 pm
Where: Warsaw Ghetto Square
By personal invitation only
The central Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony is attended by Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset and Deputy President of the Supreme Court, and 2,500 Holocaust survivors, members of the Diplomatic Corps, IDF soldiers and youth.
Wreath-laying ceremony
When: Thursday, May 5
Where: Warsaw Ghetto Square
10:00 am: Siren
10:02 am: Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Supreme Court Justice, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of the General Staff, Chief of Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, representatives of survivor and fighter organizations and delegations from throughout the country.
Unto Every Person There is a Name
When: Thursday, May 5, 10:30 am
Where: Hall of Remembrance
Recitation of Holocaust victims’ names by the public
Main memorial ceremony
When: Thursday, May 5, 1:00 pm
Where: Hall of Remembrance
Ceremony for youth movements
When: Thursday, May 5, 5:30 pm
Where: Valley of the Communities
Photographs courtesy of Yad Vashem